Substance-distribution system for an egg injection device

ABSTRACT

A distribution system for distributing dosed amounts of a treatment substance to a plurality of injectors of an egg injection device, and to an injection device equipped with such a distribution system. The distribution system comprises at least one syringe pump comprising an actuator for actuating the piston of a syringe, a discharge tube connected to the outlet orifice of the syringe, feed tubes connected in parallel to the discharge tube via a valve system, each feed tube being intended to be connected to an injector, and a controller capable of controlling the actuator and the valve system for distributing dosed amount of substance contained in the chamber through the feed tubes, to injectors.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 12/740,649 filedDec. 15, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,479,684 is a National Phase entry ofPCT Application No. PCT/EP2008/063997, filed Oct. 16, 2008, which claimspriority from French Application No. 0707652, filed Oct. 31, 2007, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a distribution system for distributingdosed amounts of a treatment substance to a plurality of injectors of adevice for injecting a substance into a plurality of eggs, in particularbird eggs, and to an injection device equipped with such a distributionsystem.

BACKGROUND ART

Injection devices are known for directly injecting into the treatmentsubstances, such as vaccines, antibiotics or vitamins, in order to limitthe mortality rate or to increase growth of the embryos. Such devicesconventionally comprise an injection head including a plurality ofinjectors capable of injecting a substance into a plurality of eggs, theinjectors being mobile vertically above a conveyor for transporting eggsto be treated, and a system for distributing a substance to be injected,for distributing dosed amounts of substance to said injectors.

For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,696, a distribution system wasproposed, consisting of a peristaltic pump and of flexible tubes feedingthe injectors individually. The rotor of the pump is equipped withrollers which gradually compress tubes for displacing the substancetowards the injectors. This type of pump guarantees good accuracy in thedelivered amounts of substance. However, flexible tubes are subject tolarge stresses and have to be regularly replaced. Further, this type ofpump requires a bundle of tubes with significant length. For eachinjector, a tube actually needs to be mounted between the source ofsubstance and the injector, passing through the pump placed at adistance from the injection head. Moreover, this type of pump is notsuitable for certain kinds of vaccines, notably vaccines with livingcells. Indeed the pump tends to destroy a portion of the living cellsduring the compression of the tubes and thereby greatly reduces theefficiency of the vaccine.

Distribution systems have also been proposed comprising an individualmicropump for each injector. These systems prove to be bulky, veryexpensive and require significant and delicate maintenance in order toguarantee proper operation of the whole of the injectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to propose asubstance-distribution system overcoming at least partly theaforementioned drawbacks, and which is of simple design and application.

For this purpose, an object of the present invention is a distributionsystem for distributing dosed amounts of treatment substance to aplurality of injectors of an egg injection device, including:

-   -   at least one syringe pump comprising a syringe body defining a        chamber intended to receive a substance, provided at its distal        end with an outlet orifice, and a piston slidably mounted in        said chamber, and an actuator capable of automatically actuating        the piston in order to discharge the substance out of the        chamber through the outlet orifice,    -   a discharge tube connected to the outlet orifice,    -   feed tubes connected in parallel through a first end to the        discharge tube via a valve system, each feed tube being intended        to be connected through its second end to at last one injector,        preferably to a single injector, and    -   a controller capable of controlling the actuator and the valve        system in order to distribute dosed amounts of substance        contained in the chamber through the feed tubes to the        injectors.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the distribution systemincludes a syringe pump for feeding several injectors, by providingseveral feed tubes connected via a valve system to the discharge tube ofthe syringe. This distribution system requires tubes of small length,not subject to large mechanical stresses. Further, such a pump issuitable for distributing all types of substances, notably livingvaccines.

According to one embodiment, the valve system is capable of individuallysetting each feed tube in fluidic communication with the discharge tube.The distribution system thereby gives the possibility of independentlyadjusting the injected amount of substance for each egg, for exampledepending on its size, and/or of not injecting any substance when theinjector is facing an empty cell or an egg which does not have to betreated, such as a clear egg or non-living egg for example. Thus,according to one embodiment, the controller is capable of controllingthe actuator and the valve system in order to independently feed thefeed tubes with either identical or different dosed amounts, dependingon the characteristic of each egg (such as size, clear or fertilizedegg, either living or non-living), and/or depending on the presence ofan egg or not. In the case of the absence of an egg, or of a clear ornon-living egg under an injector, no substance is delivered to theinjector.

Advantageously, the controller is capable of controlling the valvesystem and then the actuator in order to successively feed each feedtube, so as to avoid overpressure of the substance in the dischargetube.

According to one embodiment, the valve system comprises a two-waymicrovalve, preferably a solenoid valve, for each feed tube, eachmicrovalve being connected through a first orifice to the dischargetube, by means of an intermediate bypass tube, and through its secondorifice to a feed tube, each microvalve being individually controlled inopening and closing by the controller.

According to one embodiment, the syringe body is provided at its distalend with a filling orifice to which is connected a filling tube equippedwith a valve system, for example a two-way microvalve and in particulara solenoid valve, the valve system intended to be connected to a sourceof substance, being controlled in opening and closing by the controller,and the actuator being capable of automatically actuating the piston fordrawing a substance through the inlet orifice, so that the syringe maybe reloaded with substance automatically.

According to one embodiment, the actuator is of the pusher type for asyringe, and comprises a stepping motor mounted on a base, the motorbeing capable, preferably via a reduction gear, of driving into rotationa worm to which is directly or indirectly connected to the end of apiston rod firmly attached to the piston, so that rotation of the wormgenerates translational motion of the piston rod, the syringe body beingmounted on the base, the motor being controlled by the controller. Withsuch a motor, it is possible to provide the distribution of accuratedoses of substance, doses which may easily be adjusted for eachinjector, at each distributing cycle.

An object of the present invention is also an egg injection devicecomprising an injection head which includes a plurality of injectorscapable of injecting a substance into a plurality of eggs, at least onesubstance-distribution system as described earlier, for distributingdosed amounts of substance to the injectors. Advantageously, each feedtube is connected a single injector. According to one embodiment, thedevice comprises several distribution systems, for example fourdistribution systems, each individually feeding twenty injectors, thedevice being, for example, provided for treating trays of one hundredfifty eggs. The distribution systems are preferably mounted on a fixedchassis of the injection device bearing the injection head and intendedto be positioned above a conveyer for transporting eggs. According toone embodiment, the controller is capable of controlling the actuatorand valve system for independently feeding the injectors with eitheridentical or different dosed amounts of substance, adjusted for eachinjector depending on the characteristic of each egg present under theinjector and/or on the presence of an egg to be injected or not underthe injector, the device being equipped or connected with a system fordetermining the characteristics of the eggs and/or detecting thepresence of eggs, delivering information regarding the characteristicsof the eggs and/or egg presence information to the injection device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details,characteristics and advantages will become more clearly apparent duringthe detailed explanatory description which follows, of a particularembodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended schematicdrawing wherein the single FIGURE illustrates a schematic view of asubstance-distribution system for an injection device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The distribution system comprises a syringe pump 1 or a pistonvolumetric pump of the syringe-pusher type, comprising a syringe 10 anda pusher 20 for actuating the suction and discharge piston of thesyringe.

The syringe 10 comprises a syringe body 11 with a closed distal end 11 aand an open proximal end 11 b. The syringe body defines a cylindricalchamber 12 in which a suction and discharge piston 13 is slidablymounted. The cylinder body is provided at its distal end with an outletorifice 14 and an inlet orifice 15. The piston is connected to a pistonrod 16, which passes through the open proximal end, and the free end ofwhich cooperates with the pusher 20 for displacing the piston in thechamber, either towards the distal end in a so-called dischargedirection, or towards the proximal end in a so-called suction direction.

The pusher comprises a base 21 on which the syringe body is fixedlymounted. In the present embodiment, actuation of the piston rod isachieved by a motor, preferably a stepping motor 22 equipped with areduction gear 27, capable of driving, in both directions, a worm 23 onwhich an intermediate rod 24 is mounted, so that rotation of the screwcauses translational displacement of the intermediate rod. The motor 22associated with the worm 23 is schematically illustrated in the FIGURE.The worm 23 is housed in the base under the syringe body, theintermediate rod 24 being guided in translation in a housing of thebase. The free end of the intermediate rod 24 extends beyond the rearface 21 a of the base, and is attached via a connecting part 25 to thefree end of the piston rod. For better guiding in the translation of theintermediate rod 24, the connecting part bears two guiding rods 26 whichare positioned parallel on either side of the intermediate rod, andwhich slide in complementary housings of the base.

The motor is controlled by a control unit 3 of the distribution system,as schematically illustrated by the control line 31.

The distribution system further comprises a discharge tube 4 connectedto the outlet orifice 14 of the syringe body, and a plurality of feedtubes 5, connected in parallel to the discharge tube 4 via a valvesystem 6. In the present embodiment, the valve system comprises severalsolenoid two-way microvalves 61, so-called distributing solenoid valves,referenced from 61 ₁ to 61 _(n), each solenoid valve having a firstorifice 61 a connected to the feed tube 4 via an intermediate bypasstube 62 and its second orifice being connected to a feed tube 5. Eachdistributing solenoid valve is controlled in opening and in closing bythe control unit 3, as schematically illustrated by the control line 32.The feed tubes 5 are connected at their ends to injectors of aninjection head of an injection device. With each feed tube, substancemay be fed to only one injector of the head. For the purpose ofsimplification, a single injector 8 has been illustrated in the FIGURE.The injector notably comprises an injection body 81 and an injectionneedle 82 which is mounted on the injection body and which communicateswith an inlet 83 of the body to which the feed tube 5 is connected forfeeding the needle with substance to be injected.

The distribution system further comprises a source of substance 8connected to the filling orifice 15 through a filling tube 81 and avalve system 82, formed by a solenoid two-way microvalve, a so-calledfilling solenoid valve. The filling tube is connected to the fillingorifice and to a first orifice 82 a of the filling solenoid valve, thesource 8, such as a vaccine bag, being connected to the second orifice82 b. The filling solenoid valve is controlled in opening and in closingby the control unit 3, as illustrated by the control line 33.

As an example, the distribution system comprises twenty feed tubes 5individually connected to the discharge tube 4 through an individualdistributing solenoid valve on the one hand and to an injector 8 of aninjection device on the other hand.

The injection device (not shown) conventionally comprises a fixedchassis, positioned above a conveyer for transporting eggs to betreated, the eggs being placed in the cells of trays, so-calledincubation trays. The injection head is mounted on the fixed chassis.The injectors of the head are positioned above a conveyer fortransporting eggs to be treated, vertically mobile between a raisedposition and an injection position in which the needles may inject asubstance into the eggs, each injector being able to be equipped withits own displacement system. The injection device comprises a maincontrol system controlling the displacement of the injectors betweenboth of their positions, as well as the control unit 3 of thedistribution system, the latter may be integrated to the main controlsystem of the injection device.

The distribution system may be directly mounted on the fixed chassis ofthe injection head. As an example, the injection head comprises eightyinjectors and four distribution systems are mounted on the chassis ofthe injection device, each distribution system individually feedingtwenty injectors. Each distribution system comprises, as describedearlier, its own source of substance for filling its syringe.Alternatively, a single source may be provided for the four distributionsystems, the source being, for example, connected in parallel to thesecond orifices 82 b of the filling solenoid valves.

A description of the operation of a distribution system will now bemade.

When the injectors associated with the distribution system are in a lowinjection position, the control unit starts a distributing cycle, forexample upon receiving a distributing command transmitted by the maincontrol system. As the filling solenoid valve as well as all thedistributing solenoid valves are in the closed position, the controlunit controls the opening of the first distributing solenoid valve 61 ₁,and then controls the motor 22 in order to deliver a dose of substancecontained in the chamber to the injector connected to the solenoid valve61 ₁ through a feed tube 5. The control unit, for example, transmits acommand via the control line 31 in order to control the rotation of themotor over a determined angle corresponding to a determined dose ofsubstance. Upon stopping the motor, the control unit controls theclosing of the first solenoid valve 61 ₁. This sequence, which comprisesthe opening of a solenoid valve, the starting of the motor, the stoppingof the motor and the closing of the solenoid valve, is carried out forthe second solenoid valve 61 ₂ and then for each solenoid valve right upto the last solenoid valve 61 _(n). This sequence avoids anyoverpressure of the substance in the discharge tube. As an example, thedistributing of a dose of about 50 μl of substance for an injector iscarried out within about 40 ms, i.e. a cycle of 800 ms for twentyinjectors.

The chamber of the syringe is dimensioned for a determined number ofinjection doses, known to the control unit. When the number of dosesremaining in the chamber is insufficient for carrying out a distributingcycle for the whole of the twenty injectors, or for carrying out thenumber of distributing cycles which should be carried out by thedistribution system for the treatment of a tray, the control unitinitiates a filling cycle, comprising the opening of a filling solenoidvalve 82, the whole of the distributing solenoid valves remaining in aclosed position, the starting of the motor in order to displace thepiston in the suction direction for filling the chamber by drawing thesubstance present in the bag, and, upon stopping the motor, the closingof the filling solenoid valve. The control unit may then initiate newdistributing cycles. The chamber is dimensioned so as to allow thetreatment of several successive egg trays. For safety, a sensor forsensing the position of the piston of the syringe is provided in orderto initiate a filling cycle when the piston arrives at the end of itsstroke, in proximity to the distal end 11 a.

Advantageously, in order to optimise consumption of the treatmentsubstance, the distribution system only supplies substance to theinjectors which are positioned facing a non-empty cell, comprising afertilized and living egg. The incubation trays may contain “clear”eggs, i.e. non-fertilized eggs, and/or “non-living” eggs, i.e.comprising dead embryos, and/or empty cells. Operations for candling theeggs of a tray may be performed, upstream from the injection operations,in order to differentiate the fertilized and living eggs from the clearor non-living eggs. This candling operation may be followed by anoperation for removing clear or non-living eggs from the trays and by anoperation for detecting empty cells. The information recovered duringthese preliminary operations is processed by the control system of theinjection device in order to define for each distributing cycle, theinjectors which should be fed with substance, and to transmitcorresponding distributing commands to the control unit. For adistributing cycle for which only one injector connected to a solenoidvalve 61 _(i) is facing an empty cell or a clear and/or non-living egg,the control unit does not carry out the sequence described earlier forthis solenoid valve 61 _(i). Thus, after closing the microvalve 61_(i−1), controlling the motor, and then closing the micro-valve 61_(i−1), the control unit will command the opening of the microvalve 61_(i+1).

According to one embodiment, the control unit is also capable ofvarying, at each distributing cycle, the amount of substance deliveredto each injector, depending on one or more characteristics of the eggspresent under the injector, for example depending on the size of theegg, so as to adapt the treatment to each embryo. A detection systemwith a camera may be provided upstream from the injection device inorder to define the size of the eggs contained in each cell. Dependingon the size of the egg under an injector, the control unit adjusts theopening time of the solenoid valve associated with the injector and thenumber of steps performed by the motor in order to adapt the delivereddose of substance.

Alternatively, the distributing solenoid two-way valves may be replacedwith one or several solenoid valves each comprising an inlet connectedto the discharge tube and several outlets each connected to an injectorthrough a feed tube.

Although the invention has been described in connection with aparticular embodiment, it is not intended to be limited thereto and itis intended to comprise all the technical equivalents of the describedmeans as well as combinations thereof.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An egg injection device comprising aninjection head which includes a plurality of injectors capable ofinjecting a substance into a plurality of eggs, including at least onesubstance-distribution system, the substance-distribution systemcomprising: at least one syringe pump including a syringe body defininga chamber adapted to receive a substance, provided with an outletorifice and a piston slidably mounted in said chamber, and an actuatorcapable of automatically actuating said piston in order to discharge thesubstance out of the chamber through the outlet orifice; a dischargetube connected to the outlet orifice; feed tubes connected in parallelthrough a first end of each feed tube to said discharge tube via a valvesystem, each feed tube adapted for connection through a second endthereof to at least one injector; and a controller that controls saidactuator and said valve system in order to distribute dosed amounts ofsubstance contained in the chamber through the feed tubes, to saidinjectors; the substance distribution system distributing dosed amountsof substance to said injectors.
 2. The egg injection device according toclaim 1, wherein each feed tube is connected to only one injector. 3.The egg injection device according to claim 1 including a plurality ofsubstance-distribution systems.
 4. The egg injection device according toclaim 1 wherein the distribution system is mounted on a fixed chassis ofthe injection device, bearing the injection head, and adapted forpositioning above a conveyer for transporting eggs.
 5. The egg injectiondevice according to claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted forcontrolling the actuator and a valve system that independently feeds theinjectors with either identical or different dosed amounts of substance,adjusted for each injector depending on the characteristic of each eggpresent under said injector and/or on the presence of an egg to beinjected or not under said injector.
 6. The egg injection deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the valve system individually sets eachfeed tube in fluidic communication with the discharge tube.
 7. The egginjection device according to claim 5, wherein the controller is adaptedfor controlling the actuator and valve system for independently feedingthe feed tubes with either identical or different dosed amounts ofsubstance.
 8. The egg injection device according to claim 5, wherein thecontroller is adapted for controlling the valve system and the actuatorfor successively feeding each feed tube.
 9. The egg injection deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the valve system comprises a two-waymicrovalve for each feed tube, each microvalve being connected through afirst orifice to the discharge tube, via an intermediate bypass tube,and through its second orifice to a feed tube, each microvalve beingindividually controlled in opening and closing by the controller. 10.The egg injection device according to claim 1 wherein the syringe bodyis provided with a filling orifice operably connected to a filling tubeequipped with a valve system, said valve system being operably connectedto a source of substance, said valve system controlled in opening and inclosing by the controller, and said actuator adapted to automaticallyactuate said piston in order to draw a substance through the inletorifice.
 11. The egg injection device according to claim 1 wherein theactuator comprises a stepping motor mounted on a base, said motoradapted to rotationally drive a worm operably connected to the end of apiston rod of said piston, so that the rotation of the worm generates amovement of translation of the piston rod, the syringe body beingmounted on said base, said motor being controlled by the controller.